The Xbox 360’s Not Dead Yet, Microsoft Insists

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are both due for November 2013 releases. But does that mean you should get rid of your Xbox 360 right now?

Not necessarily. Microsoft says it will support the console until 2016 and that at least 100 games will be released between now and that time.

Let’s face it: the arrival of new consoles means current-gen devices are on the way out. But Microsoft says there’s no reason to ditch the Xbox 360 just yet.

“If you look at [the Xbox] 360, that platform lasted for seven to eight years and it’s going to go for another three years,” noted Microsoft chief marketing an strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi in a recent interview with Eurogamer.

So, why keep the Xbox 360 alive?

Mehdi says the console is still “incredibly profitable” for Microsoft, which means the firm won’t abandon the device as soon as the Xbox One launches on November 22, 2013.

“Some of these things take some time in the launch year in which you invest, and then they they play out over time,” Mehdi said in reference to the fact that many hardware makers lose money on a console when it first launches, but eventually devise manufacturing strategies and marketing promotions that help them recover from early losses.

“We’re going to continue to invest in Xbox 360, and the two devices can work in concert,” Mehdi said. “So it’s not like the day we ship Xbox One your 360 won’t work. We’ll continue to support it.”

Mehdi makes some very good points. But there’s no denying that Microsoft’s focus will, soon enough, turn to the Xbox One almost exclusively. And while the Xbox 360 may receive games for another few years, it’s not clear that any of those titles will be particularly good ones, or that they’ll be optimized for a dying device.